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Robin Gerber

Barbie Forever: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy (Official 60th Anniversary Collection) Hardcover – September 24, 2019

by Robin Gerber (Author)

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Barbie Forever: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy presents a detailed, fully authorized portrait of this beloved doll through all-new interviews, original sketches, vintage photos, advertisements, and much more. A double-sided foldout timeline showcases important moments in Barbie history. Explore how the doll came to be, what it takes to create one of her many looks, and how her legacy continues to influence the world.

Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has been breaking boundaries and highlighting major moments in art, fashion, and culture. She has been an interpreter of taste and style in every historic period she has lived through and has reflected female empowerment through the more than 200 careers she has embodied. Today, an international icon, Barbie continues to spark imaginations and influence conversations around the world.

Barbie Forever is a vibrant celebration for the "Barbie Girl" in all of us.

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From the Publisher

Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has been breaking boundaries and highlighting major moments in art, fashion, and culture


INSPIRING FANS SINCE 1959 There are endless ways to play with Barbie, and for sixty years, girls have loved the fantasies that the doll helps them create. Barbie lets them see themselves as women of action, women in the world doing interesting jobs and having amazing adventures. Girls see her as a blank slate that can reflect and embody their ideas about growing up and creating exciting futures to live into. And surely, if they have read the story of Barbie’s “mom,” the woman who first imagined the doll, they would want to play at being her as well. Barbie sparks inspiration likely because her creator, Ruth Handler, embodied it herself. Ruth Handler, circa 1958, with several of Mattel’s hit toys, including the Mousegetar, the Popeye Getar, and a few dozen Jack-in-the-Boxes.	BARBIE GOES TO MARKET There is a sixty-year history at Mattel of determining how best to market Barbie. Understanding and responding to parental concerns and getting public interest in Barbie were Ruth Handler’s main concerns as she moved toward introducing the first Barbie to the world. She was a master at marketing, but she had never had a challenge like the doll she created. It was 1958, and Ruth was almost into her third year of bringing the Barbie doll to market when she began to get seriously worried. Plans were being made for Toy Fair in March of 1959, where Ruth envisioned a grand unveiling of the doll. Mattel’s original 1959 Barbie, dressed in her iconic black-and-white swimsuit and holding white sunglasses, complete with metal stand and original packaging.	BREAKING BOUNDARIES Barbie started out as a teenage fashion model, but she has come a long way from that first job, and she still has a long way to go. Barbie “careers” have reflected not only the broad range of women’s roles in the world, but also their aspirations. She has also gone beyond early expectations of how children would play with her. In 1963, the Saturday Evening Post wrote, “Mattel has proved that girls in the nine to thirteen age group want a doll not to mother but as a means of looking ahead to the days of the pizza party, the football weekend, and the Junior Prom.” That view of girls’ dreams and imaginations was far too narrow. A young French girl poses in 1965 with her new Christmas toys: Miss Astronaut Barbie and Mr. Astronaut Ken, ready for their journey in space.	SHAPING BARBIE If you wanted to make your own doll, you would be in good company. Humans have made dolls for thousands of years. Early dolls in Egypt and Greece were made of wood or clay and were used in religious ceremonies. From Rome to Japan, doll making was part of early civilization. Cloth and animal bone, corn husks and bark, all served to make representations of humans and grew to be part of children’s imaginative play. But over time, dolls became more sophisticated and elaborate. Artisans in Germany and France made exquisite dolls from porcelain and even more fragile wax. And in America, children cherish dolls from the Old World and also made new ones from wood and clay. Designers carefully paint lips and eyes on the dolls by hand.


BARBIE LIFESTYLE Barbie’s first fans were quick to let Mattel know that they wanted Barbie to have a friend. There were thousands of letters asking specifically for a boyfriend for Barbie. This made perfect sense to Ruth. She had seen her own daughter playing with both female and male paper dolls. Ruth Handler with a collection of Barbie and Ken dolls from the early 1960s.	FASHION AND ART Barbie was destined from the start to have a beautiful wardrobe. She was the brainchild of Ruth Handler, and Ruth loved fashion. Every photo of Ruth from the 1950s shows her in stylish clothes that show off her figure. Artist and fashion designer BillyBoy posing with one of his dolls. He had a collection of more than eleven thousand Barbie dolls and three thousand Ken dolls. He also authored the 1987 book Barbie: Her Life and Times. From 1984–90, Mattel sponsored two fashion tours curated by BillyBoy, and later he worked as both a designer and consultant for Mattel, where he designed two Barbie dolls.	GOING GLOBAL Barbie has been a global phenomenon for six decades. The Barbie experience, grown from Ruth Handler’s belief that there is a better way to express fashion play—and that little girls want to play at being big girls—is universal. From Asia to the Middle East, from Australia to Alaska, you can circle the globe today and find girls and boys letting their imaginations build new adventures for the many toys that are part of the Barbie brand. Mattel features the Legally Blonde 2 collection at the 2003 Toy Fair in New York City on February 16, 2003.	THE MAGIC OF BARBIE Barbie has fans of all ages, races, and genders. They live all over the world, and their affection for Barbie is enduring. But can it last forever? The best answer comes from the children and parents, the fans and collectors who continue to be inspired, delighted, and empowered by Barbie. Here’s a wonderful example from one mother and daughter. Barbara Handler—daughter of Ruth and Elliot Handler, and namesake for the Barbie doll—poses with a Barbie doll after placing her hands in cement that will adorn the sidewalk at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California, in an event designed to honor Barbie, on November 13, 2002

Review

"The copiousness of rare photos and in-depth narrative elevates this book above any mere collectible coffee-table book to be glanced through idly then discarded. This is a photo book, a study book, to be loved and enjoyed by anyone who has known the joy of immersing themselves in the world of the original girl who could grow up to be anything."

- Critical Blast

"Barbie Forever is a book that will give you tremendous insight into how one doll and one company could take the world by force. This is a great coffee table read and would be perfect in anyone’s home"

- The Nerdy Girl Express

From the Author

After writing "Barbie and Ruth," the biography of Ruth Handler, it was great fun to dive deep into the story of Ruth's creation, Barbie. This is a beautiful book, with wonderful pictures, and it tells the whole story of Barbie's creation and her 'life.' I especially enjoyed interviewing the Barbie fans and collectors, from the young girl with a major YouTube presence, to the man in Singapore who makes the most gorgeous Barbie clothes out of toilet paper! Enjoy!

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Product details

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Epic Ink (September 24, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760365776
ISBN-13: 978-0760365779
Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 1 x 11.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 22 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Antique & Collectible Dolls (Books)
- #31 in Industrial & Product Design
- #375 in Historical Study (Books)

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Shelly Swanson

Great book and price. Very happy to have it.

October 30, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Shipped well. Very nice book, in great shape as well.

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Comment

Very Upbeat Celebration of Barbie

September 28, 2019

Format: Hardcover

sentation and very easy to read. There may not be a lot of history here, especially after the first three years of barbie are discussed, but the joy is likely most to be found in the archival photographs.

The book is broken down as follows: Introduction, Inspiring fans since 1959, Barbie goes to market, Shaping Barbie, Barbie lifestyle, Fashion and art, Going global, The magic of Barbie, Bibliography, Acknowledgements, About the author, Image credits, Historic Timeline.

Although the book feels big, really most of the informative parts are in the beginning and a lot of the book are the large images. Since the author has also penned a book about Mattel chief Ruth Handler (the creator of Barbie), there is a lot of good information here with some interesting tidbits about Barbie's early years. Handler is fully lionized here - put on a pedestal as a one-woman show who made Mattel what it is today. And these areas of the book feel especially meant to create a mythos: Instead of being seen as the woman who found an erotic prostitute doll from Germany and basically recreated it wholesale in the US, the book tells a story of Handler always having the Barbie doll in mind but only needing proof that it could be manufactured (which she found with the German doll. We are told that she completely redesigned the doll, especially the face, so it wasn't a direct copy. But it's hard to argue that when the pictures in the book show nearly the exact same doll between Lilli and Barbie. Things like that especially feel like revisionist history here.

After a large chunk of the book is given to Handler, her employee Charlotte Johnson is discussed in several places. Johnson's challenge of living in Japan (the cheapest place at the time to manufacture Barbie and her clothing) without speaking the language are fun anecdotes but she soon disappears as the book glosses over the rest of Barbie history. Cherry picked features follow, from a discussion of the career barbies, a VERY brief discussion of the manufacturing, to the designers and clubs/fan inspired tributes.

At the end of each chapter are several pages dedicated to various fans and their collections, making the historical aspects even shorter than they appear at face value. I read the entire book in about 1 hour, including long stares at the lovely photographs. And really, that is the true value of the book - there are a lot of wonderful Mattel archive images to enjoy. From photographs of the early years of promoting Barbie, to old ads, promo pieces, even the original Barbie patents. Clearly, writing a very optimistic piece celebrating (glorifying?) Barbie has given the author access to some great images from Mattel. The book is beautifully presented with large images on each page, many in full color. All have clean graphic design layouts, though often the images do not match the discussions on the page at all (e.g., a 1970s Barbie will be in the middle of a discussion about the original Barbie).

Here's the thing: if you love Barbie (as do I, a collector of many years), then this book was meant for you. It's everything you love about Barbie and absolutely nothing negative in there. But if you want a truer history of the doll and Barbie phenomenon, you are not going to find it here. Issues/controversies that plague Barbie are very neatly respun in very obvious ways that greatly show the bias and true purpose of the book. In addition to the Lilli doll origins, topics such as female stereotype promulgation ("I don't like math!" Barbie) are changed into "Barbie created female careers before women could even realistically achieve them", body issues and impossible proportions causing girls to feel inadequate were translated into "Handler felt these proportions were best for the clothes/barbie introduced new body styles (in 2018!!)," The "Don't Eat!" diet book included with a baby sitter Barbie, the camera Barbie that could be used to spy on girls, etc. never see the light of day Controversies were deftly not mentioned while at the same time explaining them away. It felt disingenuous to not include the missteps that all companies/products make in a long lifetime and due to the times in which they were produced. A more cynical person would likely see the Barbie girl empowerment themes, various careers, and body type variety changes to be more of a reaction to Barbie market share loss in the 2000s due to the backlash of barbie being seen as a detriment to girls' self image. Indeed, the whole book feels like a response to create a new Barbie image and distance Barbie farther from the negatives that have grown up over the years.

As such, this feels more like a glossy Barbie marketing tool - a rose colored glasses view on the Barbie mystique likely meant meant more as a self affirmation bible for adult Barbie collectors and to recreate Barbie than as a book about her 'Inspiration, History, and Legacy." A more accurate title would have been, "For the Love of Barbie." I hope we do one day get a bigger picture that is more than just super fans espousing how much they love the doll, glossy marketing pictures, employees making marketing doublespeak, and lovely archive images. But for now, there is definitely an audience for a loving Barbie tribute book with some great images provided by Mattel.

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Storywraps

A celebration of Barbie - excellent

October 2, 2019

Format: Hardcover

This book is part of the 60th Anniversary of Mattel's iconic Barbie Brand. There are not enough superlative adjectives to describe the detail, history, original sketches, interviews, vintage photos, advertisements and much more that this treasure trove contains. I actually gasped when I opened my package from the publisher and discovered such a beautiful and comprehensive book inside. I felt like I needed to don a pair of white gloves to turn the pages and I recognized immediately that this book is museum-worthy.

The author Robin Gerber asked wonderful questions from the designers, artists, marketers, and managers. She posed questions about the ionic doll such as:

" How has Barbie lasted so long? And how long could she go on?"
"In the process she learned that Barbie is still everything she was originally intended to be, as a vehicle to imagine anything they can become. "

The book explores the genesis of Barbie and her evolution from generation to generation. She is very popular having world-wide fame.

Her coming out party took place in 1959 and she has been making statements in art, fashion and culture ever since she emerged into the marketplace.

She has been an interpreter of taste and style in every historic period she has lived through and has reflected female empowerment through more than 200 careers she has embodied. Today, an international icon, Barbie continues to spark imaginations and influence conversations around the world. The author has included a double-sided foldout timeline highlighting the important moments in Barbie's history.

The book is one for doll advocates ( especially Barbie dolls ) and would find a perfect spot on your coffee table to be displayed for all to thumb through. As it a gift it would be perfection! I highly, highly recommend this keeper.

2 people found this helpful

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From the Publisher

Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has been breaking boundaries and highlighting major moments in art, fashion, and culture

INSPIRING FANS SINCE 1959

BARBIE GOES TO MARKET

BREAKING BOUNDARIES

SHAPING BARBIE

BARBIE LIFESTYLE

FASHION AND ART

GOING GLOBAL

THE MAGIC OF BARBIE

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Barbie Forever: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy (Official 60th Anniversary Collection) Hardcover – September 24, 2019

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From the Publisher

Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has been breaking boundaries and highlighting major moments in art, fashion, and culture

INSPIRING FANS SINCE 1959

BARBIE GOES TO MARKET

BREAKING BOUNDARIES

SHAPING BARBIE

BARBIE LIFESTYLE

FASHION AND ART

GOING GLOBAL

THE MAGIC OF BARBIE

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